Dark Paradise
by shades-of-violet
Summary: After the loss of her dear father, Jade West is forced to spend time with her aunt in Janeswood manor, Ireland. Just as she's starting to enjoy her stay, she meets a mysterious ghost... Beck Oliver is 152 years dead with more secrets than Janeswood's attic... But as Jade becomes closer to Beck, the ghost of Beck's past lover will stop at nothing to separate the two... AU..sorta...
1. Chapter 1

I knew she was there before I actually saw her. The atmosphere changed. Just slightly. At first I mistook her for one of the mourners but then I realised that it was just me who saw her. My heart starting beating at a rapid speed and I wondered if anyone around me could hear my heart beat.

Too many emotions were flurrying in my chest that it was hard to pick out the one I was actually feeling. Ghosts always have crappy timing, showing up at my dad's funeral. Not that they cared; they were too self-centred to even think.

I always saw them when I was young. They used to be a silent part of my life that no one ever bothered to check up on. It was actually my dad who taught me how to get rid of them. _Just ignore them,_ he used to say. _Show them that you don't care about them. They just want attention._ Now oddly enough, the man who taught me to protect myself from the dead had gone to join them.

The ghosts retrieved to their hideout for a while. I always knew that they would come back to haunt me. I guess they waited until there was no one left to threaten their fun but my little brother, who unfortunately had no idea of my 'gift'.

I sat to the left of my brother, Austin, with my aunt Cadence on his right. As I watched my dad's shiny mahogany casket being lowered into the ground, I felt like crying. Only, there weren't any tears left to shed. As dad's coffin settled on the damp ground, I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding in. Aunt Cadence was gripping my hand and giving me sympathetic looks while trying to hide her own sadness. After all, he was her only remaining family member. Now she was on her own. Just like me and Austin.

I noticed that my brother's fists were clenched and that he looked ready to go jump into the grave along with dad, if it wasn't for aunt Cadence gripping his shoulders. As everyone was leaving after the service, aunt Cadence finally cracked and started crying hysterically. I don't blame her. My dad was probably the friendliest man in the neighbourhood. This was the first time I've ever seen her show true emotion in public. Not that she's uncaring. She was just like me. Even though I rarely express emotion in public, I really do care about people. Most people.

I stole a glance at the ghost and was relieved when I saw that she had disappeared. Just as we were about to leave, I excused myself and went to see who owned the grave that the ghost was 'oh so interested' in. The tombstone looked like it was set there 100 years ago, with all the vines and dirt surrounding it. In scripted on the stone was-

 _Beckett James Oliver  
9_ _th_ _February 1844 – 15_ _th_ _October 1863  
"Re-examine all you have been told, dismiss what insults your soul"_

Below it, someone had placed a black and white photograph of a young man, with extremely fluffy, dark brown hair, brown puppy dog eyes, wearing a black trench coat over a flannel shirt.  
So, ghostie wanted me to find the grave of a guy who died over a hundred and fifty years ago, who also had a weird fascination with Walt Whitman. Interesting.

"Come on Jade, we have to go" Aunt Cadence called out quietly

* * *

In the car, Austin was giving Jade weird looks despite the obvious tension. His face clearly stated that he was worried but with the auburn curls, which made him look like a 12 year old instead of a 14, it was hard to say.

"So Jade, the school called, they said you and Austin can take a few weeks off of school but they need you back by the start of next term, also, your mother will be flying down from New York tonight so she'll be here tomorrow morning"

Jade cringed when aunt Cadence mentioned her mother. The thought of having to share a house with Cheryl West was like having to live with the ghosts themselves. When Cheryl was in the house, there was no privacy whatsoever. No wonder Jade's parents got a divorce. Her dad kept on telling her that she was just like her mum. As stubborn as a mule but brave as a mountain lion. Also as loud as a blue whale.


	2. Chapter 2

Aunt Cadence decided to stay for a while. Or at least until mum came and there was a guardian to watch over Austin. Honestly, I was relieved. With aunt Cadence in the house, there's no yelling and there's at least a **bit** of privacy.

A strange silence filled the house now. When dad was alive the house used to be filled with the sound of lively conversations, the radio playing in the background or Austin's deafening piano practice. Now there was silence as the days passed unnoticed.

I sleep a lot more now. Mainly because sleep was my only escape from the terrible tragedy that broke my family apart. It's like a huge chunk of my family had been ripped apart. Like when a tsunami hits and destroys everything, leaving just debris behind. The debris is like a memory. A memory of what **used** to be there, but isn't anymore. I would wake up on the morning and for a few slow minutes it feels like everything is back to normal. But then I'd remember that my dad was dead.

The weirdest part was how everything felt the same. Like it was mocking me, luring me towards something that was not there. Dad's cologne, still on the bathroom counter, his movie collection, all stacked next to the TV, the badminton trophies he's positioned a little too neatly on my shelf, the ruby earring's he gave me for my sweet sixteen. It was all there, just the way they were left.

My phone was buzzing non-stop for the last couple of days. Messages from people I didn't even know. Madelyn and Aubrey were coming up with millions of suggestions to distract me but I couldn't bring myself to listen or agree. Nothing really mattered anymore. Nothing could ever replace what I had lost.

I kept my grief in check most of the time. Except for the odd moments it strikes without warning. Like the cold afternoon aunt Cadence was making hot chocolate and I realised that she was reaching for **the** mug.  
"Stop! Don't touch that!" I screamed. Everyone stopped midway, waiting for an explanation.  
"That's dad's mug" Austin explained. "Here used this one" he said handing her a crisp white mug from the back of the cabinet.

Or the time I accidently walked into my dad's room. I had been avoiding the room like a plague, but I was looking for our family dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Coco, who was named after mum's favourite designer. I found her sitting comfortably on dad's bed, sniffing one of the lavender coloured pillows. Nothing seemed to have been moved since the night he died. His robe still hung from the hooks attached to the back of the door, his slippers inside the closet he never closed and the bestseller he was reading, still sat on the bedside table. Untouched. Like he was about to walk in any moment.

The rest of my family wasn't taking it well either. Austin spent his days upstairs, locked up in his room playing games or surfing the web for nothing in particular, only coming down for meals. Aunt Cadence started watching the TV Shopping Network again, having an aspirin whenever she can. She didn't have mental breakdowns either. She just _disconnected._

Mum came this morning with nothing but a frown on her face. She didn't even look happy to see us. Turns out she and dad had kept in close contact. _We even fell in love again_ was the first thing mum told aunt Cadence when she got home, before bursting into a fit of tears.

"It's alright, we all feel your pain" Aunt Cadence tried soothing mum. With no victory.

Now even the simplest of questions puzzled her.  
"Mum, how do you turn on the dishwasher?" Austin stood in the doorway holding a stack of dirty plates. Momentarily jolted from her gaze, mum looked at Austin like he was a complete stranger, before aunt Cadence sprinted over to Austin.

"Come along sweetie" I heard her say, "I'm sure we can work it out"

As the days passed I noticed that mum was drifting further away from us. Further than before. At least then she used to talk to us. Now, she was just a lonely soul. Just like the rest of us. Some days we barely saw her, but I knew she was there because at night I can hear her rummaging in the kitchen, making herself some toast because she forgot about lunch and dinner. For the most part, she preferred to nurse a bottle of wine while watching the stars outside on the porch.

Worst part is, the ghosts keep coming back. Fast and more furious than before. The one that really scared me was the girl that kept appearing in my room every single night. And she only comes at night. Her dark blonde hair reached her torso and her tanned skin was almost as pale as snow. The ghost was wearing a silk night gown. Like she was 'murdered' at night. **IF** she was murdered.

"Go away" I told her forcefully even though she probably couldn't hear me. "You don't belong in this world" When I said that a small gasp escaped her lips. Not a second later, she flashed an evil grin before vanishing into thin air.

"Jade? Are you okay? I thought I heard voices" Aunt Cadence said peering into the room to make sure no one had broken in.

"Yea I'm fine, just watching a YouTube video" I lied snatching my laptop

I could tell she didn't believe me when she sat on the edge of my bed with a sympathetic look on her face. She looked like a person from a different era, like someone from _The Great Gatsby,_ with her long pearl necklace, haircut and the way she smoked her cigarette. If only she wore a flapper dress and one of those retro headbands with diamonds on them.

"Things will get better Jadelyn" I still hate when she calls me Jadelyn. "I know it doesn't seem like they will tight now, but trust me. I was six when my mother died, so I'm speaking from personal experience" SIX! That was thirty years ago! How does she remember something that happened thirty years ago when she doesn't remember her own phone number?!

"Thanks Aunt Cade. I'll remember that for next time" I told her unenthusiastically

"It was a long time ago" she continued "But it still hurts a bit. Only the pain dulls over time, just enough for you to get on with your life" Aunt Cadence concluded

By then I couldn't help my throat tightening. Luckily Aunt Cadence noticed and deftly changed the subject. Peering over my shoulder, she pointed to the screen and asked, "What's that funny little sign over there?"  
"That would be _Qooh Me_ "  
"Q what?" she asked  
"QOOH ME" I repeated a little louder  
"Pfft! You kids and your gadgets! _My Space_ was and still is much better" She said before kissing me goodnight and shutting the door.  
Just a second later she popped her head back in the room and said, "Don't forget, Aunt Cades famous bacon and eggs tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock sharp" and she disappeared just as quickly as she entered. 


End file.
